1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a copying system which makes it possible to communicate between a user and a controller through a communication line, and particularly relates to the system having a function to prevent the attempt of copying paper money, a check, securities or the like.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Copying apparatuses having a function to prevent the image of a bill, a check or valuable securities from being copied are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent (Unexamined) Publication Nos. 55-111977, 2-73283 and 2-210591.
Regarding an apparatus disclosed in the Publication No. 55-111977, while copying operation is being performed, a pattern of an original document is detected to compare the pattern with a copy-prohibited reference pattern. If the pattern of the original document is coincident with the reference pattern, the image formation of the original document on copy sheets is prevented.
Regarding an apparatus disclosed in the Publication No. 2-73283, it is decided whether or not an image of an original document is a copy-prohibited one while the image of the original document is being read and recorded. If it is decided that the image of the original document is a copy-prohibited image, solid black is written on the image which has been recorded.
Regarding an apparatus disclosed in the Publication No. 2-210591, a position of an original document is detected to detect an image pattern of a particular portion of the original document so as to detect the degree of similarity of the image pattern to a registered reference pattern. Based on the degree of similarity, it is decided whether or not the original document is a bill or the like.
On the other hand, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent (Unexamined) Publication No. 54-54032 is disclosed an apparatus in which data to control a plurality of copying apparatuses is transmitted to a centralized control device so that the latter executes batch processing.
And, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent (Unexamined) Publication No. 54-44522 is disclosed an apparatus in which data to control each copying apparatus is transmitted to a centralized control device through each terminal device so that the central processing unit controls a plurality of copying apparatuses.
Furthermore, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent (Unexamined) Publication No. 4-50958 are disclosed copying apparatuses that are controlled by a controlling center or a service center on an on-line system.
The apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 55-111977, 2-73283 and 2-210591 are intended to make it impossible to copy the image of a bill, a check, valuable securities or the like, but they do not have a function to prevent the attempt of a copying operation itself. In each apparatus, reference patterns of a bill, a check, valuable securities or the like are registered to compare the patterns of the original documents with the reference patterns, and it is decided whether or not the patterns of the original documents are copy-prohibited patterns by comparing these patterns with each other. Namely, these apparatuses must have a bigger memory for allowing these data to be stored; therefore, the construction of each apparatus inevitably becomes complicated, thus leading to a higher production cost. Also, there is a possibility that the pattern of a bill, a check or valuable securities may be altered. There may also be a case that one wants to prohibit a specified pattern from being copied. The abovementioned apparatuses, however, are not able to meet such a requirement.